Report finds high levels of compliance to new laws around tobacco control.
In March 2004, the Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce a smoking ban in the workplace.
The ban included the prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places, restaurants, bars, schools, colleges, healthcare facilities and all other workplaces.
The Office of Tobacco Control (OTD) has carried out a survey on the impact of the smoking ban to date. According to the survey, in the month that followed the introduction of the ban on smoking in the workplace, 97 per cent of premises were found to be compliant with the law. More than two-thirds of the inspections carried out were in pubs. The report also indicates that over 1,500 calls were made to the smoke free compliance telephone line and just under 50 per cent of these were complaints.
Minister for Health Micheál Martin is pleased with the findings of the report and the success of the ban. He believes that compliance is high because the time had come for a ban and he paid tribute to the efforts of the people who all worked to make sure that the law was applied.
I think the compliance levels are high because basically, it was an initiative whose time had come.
The publication of the study by the Office of Tobacco Control coincides with World No Tobacco Day and the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) that it is to give its Special Director General's Award to Health Minister Michael Martin in recognition of his outstanding contribution to tobacco control.
WHO are also calling on more countries to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which requires countries to ban or impose tough restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion within five years.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 31 May 2004. The reporter is Jennie O'Sullivan.
